It took every ounce of restraint not to roll his eyes. “I can’t be quiet and talk at the same time.”
The man’s hand whipped out in a flash, slapping Elm hard across the cheek.
His head whacked into the window of the side door a second time, and Elm growled, anger flaring.
“Oh, is the big scary omega offended?” He laughed, and the other guys joined in, their mingled sounds raucous and grating.
“Hey.” One of the alphas in the back leaned over the seat and patted Elm’s face condescendingly. “Quit glaring. Don’t you realize what kind of situation you’re in?”
“This was the perfect opportunity to take out the Dominus’ of both the White Frost and the Eumia, yet something went down in there. We want to know what,” the first man said. “And before you ask, we’re bringing you somewhere more secluded.”
“We’re going to send pieces of you in tiny boxes to those assholes,” the third guy chimed in boisterously.
They weren’t going to get the chance to do that. Levi and Kian would be on their way already. Elm just had to hold out until they got there.
“You’re him, right?” The first man reached across and tugged on Elm’s turtleneck, revealing one of the claiming bites. “Yeah, you’re him for sure. The new Possessio.”
“The Leviathan’s little bitch more like,” the second guy cackled.
“Name calling is unnecessary,” Elm told him.
“Don’t like being called a bitch, bitch?”
“More like your breath is rank and I’d rather not smell it.” Elm anticipated the next slap.
Didn’t piss him off any less though.
Just had to hold it in. Keep them distracted so his alpha and his brother had time to reach him and—
“Too bad you weren’t in the car with him the first time,” asshole number one stated.
“What?” Elm stilled.
“Could have killed you then, right in front of him. Would have made an impact. Shown the world the Serpents aren’t to be underestimated.”
“They’ll get the message once we’ve cut him to bits,” the second guy insisted.
“Time out.” Elm made a T with his hands, waiting for them to stop squawking like demented birds before asking outright, “The truck that ran the Dominus and the underboss off the road a few months ago. That was you?”
“Well, not us specifically—” the third man began, only for the first to cut him off.
“Yeah, what of it? Going to do something about it, omega?” He leaned in for another slap.
Elm caught him by the wrist, unleashing aggressive pheromones in the process, and squeezed hard enough to grind bone.
Whoever these assholes were, they stood no chance against either the White Frost or the Eumia, a fact that became even more glaringly obvious when hives began to form on their skin within seconds of being exposed to Elm’s pheromones.
The driver cursed and the vehicle swerved, causing Elm to lose his grip on the man, but he didn’t cut off his pheromones, pumping them out even harder instead.
He had enough sense to turn in his seat and pull the belt over him, clicking it into place mere seconds before the van swerved off to the side. They were on the highway, and it slammed into the guardrail a few times, jostling all of the occupants, before coming to the end and veering completely off the road.
The impact when they crashed into a thick tree had Elm’s head hitting the back of the driver’s seat, and sent the three men in the back with him, who weren’t buckled, tumbling around like ping pong balls.
Elm took an arm to the face and was crushed against the door by the weight of one of the men. He struggled to reach between their bodies, unsnapping the seatbelt and reaching for the door handle just as smoke erupted from the smashed hood. He landed on his hands and knees outside the vehicle, scrambling onto his feet and shaking his head in an attempt to clear his blurred vision.
There were grunts and groans behind him, and he turned back just in time to see the second guy—who had flung over the seat and been the one shoved against Elm—trying to unclip the snap on his holster.
Elm reached in and undid it himself, easily slapping the man’s hand away. Once he had the blaster, he checked the safety to be sure it was off and aimed it directly at the guy’s forehead. “Who’s the bitch now?”